Method of making washers.



Patented July 3, I900.

, H. c. HAB T. METHOD OF MAKING WASHERS.

(Application filed Mafr. 7, 1900.)

Mw 7 4m H ll 6 V (No Model.)

Af/omey WITNESSES ZZZ/ ll'nrrnn STATES PATENT Cr mes.

HUBERT (J. HART, OF UNIONVILLE, CONNECTICUT.

METHOD OF MAKING WASHERS.-

SPECIFIGA'IION forming part of Letters iPat ent No. 653,084, dated July 3, 1900. Application filed March 7,1900. Serial No, 7,689. (No model.)

To all whom it rim/y concern! Be it known that I, HUBERT O. HART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Unionville, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of Making VVashers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an im proved metlr 0d of making washers.

In the present method of making Washers they are stamped out from sheet metal, necessitating a loss of from fifty to seventy-five percent. in what is generally termed scraps.

In the manufacture of washers by my method I take a round piece of metal and make it into a coil of any suitable diameter, and then place it under pressure, so as to compress it into a flat and perfectly-smooth washer.

One of the chief advantages derived from myinvention is the enormousamount of metal saved; hence the great reduction in the cost of the finished article.

A further object is to provide a method of introducing a thicker piece of metal between the dies than the finished article, forming a washer of closerdensity than those now in use.

Many other objects and advantages will be hereinafter referred to, and be particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a means for carrying out my method, the wire from which a washer is to be made having been fed to a position to be cutthe desired length to form a coil. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic View showing the coil half completed around the mandrel; Fig. 3, a similar view showing the coil complete; Fig. 4, a similar view showing the coil completed-and the coil-forming device returned to its normal position; Fig. 5, a sectional view of the coil of wire between a die and mandrel just before the final compression of the latter takes place; Fig. 6, a similar view after the pressure has been applied and the coil converted into a flat surface, and Fig. 7 a detail view of the finished article.

The same numerals refer to like parts in all the figures, it being understood that the parts of the mechanism so designated for obtaining the result are entirely of a conventional character, and the details of construction so shown in no way form a application. I r

The numeral 1 indicates a suitable frame (broken away) for supporting the feeding, cutting, coiling, and compressing mechanism.

The wire is indicated at 2 and is fed to a cutting mechanism 3 by a pair of feeding gripper-jaws 4, adapted to grip and feed the wireforward the desired length and then return to their normal position to grip thewire for the next succeeding feed. The gripping device consists of a pair of reciprocating jaws 5, which move the wire forwardthrough a stationary guide 6 on a plane with'the upper reduced endof the mandrel 7, around which the coil is made to form the washer.

. The cutting device, as illustrated, indicates a stationary member 8 and a movable cutter 8, which is timed to cut the wirebefore tlfe coiling mechanism 9 starts to perform its function.

The die 10 consists in this instance of a main body portion havinga recess 11, in which a movable plunger-section 12 is seated.

The steps taken int-he practical application of my method are substantially as follows: Thewire is first fed forward by the feeding mechanism to a point opposite the upper end of the mandrel 7 and is limited in its movement, so as to bring it in proper position, by a stop 6, whereupon one member 9? of the coil-former advances and forms one-half of the contemplated washer, and upon the completion of this movement the opposite forming member 9 advances fromthe opposite side of the mandrel and completes the coil. The coil now being completed and around the mandrel, the coil-forming device withdraws and returns to its normal position, leaving the coil in position to be engaged by the die, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The die and the mandrel are now brought together, and the coil, of preferably round wire, is compressed into a fiat washer, after which the die and mandrel are separated, and the completed washer is ejected by the movable plunger-section 12.

While I have described, the operation of;

feeding, cutting, and coiling as being accon1- part of myinvention in this a plished automatically, I contemplate and in,

fact do form the coil independent of the dies. However, as a rapid and more expedient method some automatic arrangement is to be preferred.

I have stated in the foregoing that preferably round wire is employed. I reserve the right to the use of any shape, the point of novelty in this method being in that a flat washer is made from a coil of metal which is thicker than the completed article, the same being placed under pressure and making its density greatly increased.

When the metal wire is passed around the mandrel and made into a coil, especially if it is relatively high in carbon, the molecules forming the outer periphery to a certain extent become separated, causing said outer edge to be more or less broken, and the molecules forming the inner periphery of said wire become condensed, this being more perceptible in the manufacture of washers of large degree. It will therefore be seen that by having the coil of wire. contained between dies equal in diameter to the greatest diameter of the finished article and applying pressure suf ficient to decrease the volume thereof while so positioned a flat split washer may be produced having a uniform density throughout, with a continuous outer edge and from wire which is relatively high in carbon, a result not attainable from such wire by any other process known to me.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that by my improvement I produce a cheap, quick, and economical method of mak ing washers. As already stated, in the old way of stamping washers a large quantity of material is wasted, while in my method there will be no waste, as the coiling of the wire does away with the necessity of the usual scraps.

While as a rule I prefer to have the finished article split, I may, if desired, add an other step to the method and join the ends.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The herein-described method of making flat split-rin g washers from wire consisting of m aking independent rings from the wire and then subjecting said rings to pressure to flatten and increase their density and decrease their volume.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HUBERT O. HART.

Witnesses:

GEORGE E. TAFT, L. J. COLLINS. 

